Through the years, turret-type millers, cutters and grinders have evolved from a single stand-alone, hand-operated milling machine into massive, automatically controlled machines which are capable of completely machining a plurality of workpieces without operator assistance. However, although major advances have been achieved in milling machine equipment, many problems have resulted from the newer equipment which continue to plague the industry and have been incapable of resolution, until the present invention.
In particular, precise accuracy in setting up the three mutually perpendicular axes of any machine has been, and continues to be, a critical factor in providing equipment capable of achieving precise, accurate machined parts. However, in spite of the importance and criticality of precision orientation of the three axes, the prior art systems' constructions have not attained the desired precision in a manner which is inexpensive as well as quickly and easily achieved during the manufacturing process, and once installed and set, is capable of being consistently repeated without time-consuming re-adjustment if any axis-defining means must be disturbed for repairs, maintenance or any other reason.
In addition to the necessity of having the axis-defining supporting guide rails or ways mounted mutually perpendicular to each other with precision and complete accuracy, the keepers or way-engaging members must be slidably engaged with the ways and also aligned therewith in a manner which assures ample supporting contact area while establishing a path through which the keeper moves that is precisely parallel to the way surface. However, in spite of this requirement which has been necessary in all prior art systems, these prior art systems have been incapable of achieving an assembly method wherein the requisite accuracy and precision can be achieved quickly and easily during the manufacturing or installation process.
Additional difficulties found with prior art bed-type milling machines are found in the kind of automatic tool changer which has become common in these prior art systems. Although numerous alternate constructions for automatically changing the tool being employed by the milling machine have been developed, all of these prior art tool changers suffer from a high degree of complexity in both construction and operation. As a result, these prior art tool changers are highly susceptible to breakdowns, since they must incorporate numerous moving parts and, typically, are designed to go through various convoluted and cumbersome paths of movement for removing a tool from the machine's spindle and inserting a new tool therein.
Furthermore, prior art systems attempt to achieve removal of chips and cuttings from the general tool area while also protecting the workers from accident or entry into the cutting area. However, prior art machines have been unable to successfully and completely protect workers from injury as well as being unable to completely remove cuttings from the work area.
In addition, prior art machines have generally been constructed with primary emphasis on ruggedness and inherent strength and rigidity, without real consideration being given to the removability of moving parts therein which are susceptible to wear and tend to require removal and replacement. Consequently, these prior art machines must often be partially disassembled in order to gain access to the subassembly requiring such replacement. As a result of this type of construction, replacement of such subassemblies becomes extremely expensive due to the labor intensive effort and machine down-time necessitated in disassembling and subsequently reassembling major portions of the machine which did not need replacement but were required to be disassembled in order to gain access to the malfunctioning parts.
Consequently, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a bed-type machining system which incorporates three independent tracks or way systems which are set geometrically for precise mutual perpendicularity, with unusual simplicity and economy.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bed-type machining system having the characteristic features defined above and which assures the maintenance of this perpendicularity and quick and easy restoration of the perpendicularity, if disassembly is ever required.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bed-type machining system having the characteristic features described above and incorporating movable carriage or keeper assemblies which are easily adjustable to assure precision alignment of the keepers with the way system, as well as continuous, trouble-free slidability therealong.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bed-type machining system having the characteristic features described above and having a tool changer mechanism capable of quickly and easily removing and replacing tools automatically, without requiring excessive movement or a secondary tool transfer mechanism.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a bed-type machining system having the characteristic features described above, which incorporates an overall structure providing inherent rigidity and structural integrity to the system while also attaining modularization and accessibility of component subassemblies for easy removability and replacement thereof.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a bed-type machining system having the characteristic features described above which is also constructed for optimum safety and protection for workers while providing a chip removal system which attains virtually total removal of chips from the work area.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.